Lies of Omission

Rent Lies of Omission

Thursday, December 25, 2014

As some of you know, I have been out of the country. Nothing gives one a sense of the quality of life in America more than traveling outside. Beyond the quality of life, there is still the sense that America is the destination of others wishing to take advantage of the opportunities in this nation. This is different from non-Americans seeking to take advantage of the wealth of this nation.

There is a difference between the opportunities this nation has to offer and the wealth it possesses.

Too often, lately, the objective has been to come to America to obtain some of its wealth, through any means, preferably without effort; as "payback", maybe for transgressions of the past. I find this repulsive.

President Obama, with his "amnesty" and with the cooperation of the Republican Party (how well did that vote go for you all?) has encouraged the wrong type of people to seek citizenship. There are tons of Pakistanis who would love to come to this nation in search of a better life, of better pay, even of better social customs, who would work, gladly, to get the sort of opportunities being offered freely to those who DO NOT respect America, Americans or our "traditional system". These are not just manual labor emigres, but skilled emigres. Pakistanis, however, cannot come to America because of 9/11.

America is special, even to those who hate it. They hate it because it is successful, because it is largely Christian, because it is the pinnacle. Any nation at the pinnacle of power is going to receive criticism. Russia (prior to the plunge in oil revenues) was starting to receive the sort of criticism America has endured for centuries.

When America is criticized, it is out of envy. That is the truth. Britain criticizes America largely because the best of the Brits (intellectually) rebelled against the King. Does anyone remember the names of the political figures on the British side? No, they don't. But, everyone remembers the political figures on the American side of the conflict. Not just Americans, but people worldwide.

People worldwide respect America, therefore, they criticize America. It is the fact that they all know, they all point to; there is a common source of reference that they can criticize. Criticism is a part of knowlegdge.

One cannot criticize what they do not know, therfore one might criticize what they DO know and therefore, what someone criticizes, someone knows. Criticism, therefeore, suggests knowledge, while that may or may or not be true, it is accepted and that is the crucial misunderstanding between knowledge and knowledge.

Having been in the Middle-East, let me explain from a knowledgeable point of view that while America is still respected and admired for its abilities and accomplishments, it is also a common point of discussion. What is the point of discussion if not to criticize? Truly, is there some point of specific knowledge that you have that you are not quick to criticize, to demonstrate your depth of knowledge? Is it a mark of expertise that you criticize that of which you are knowledgeable? Is that not right?

So, to establish oneself as a sophisticate, one must criticize America, the leader of the world, in order to be heard amongst the rabble.